It’s Snowing in America. Here’s Proof Even Your 4WD Truck Needs Good Tires

A bomb cyclone for the Pacific Northwest. Blizzard conditions in the mountains. Snow advisories throughout New England. Friends, winter is hitting early and hard for many places in the US. It’s a reminder that having four-wheel drive—be it on a car, SUV, or a big ol’ pickup truck—only helps if your tires grip the snow.

The owner of this fourth-generation Ram 1500 found that out the hard way. A new video from Matt’s Off-Road Recovery takes us into the mountains during a recent snow event where the quad-cab truck slid off a narrow, sloped tail. Fortunately, it appears no damage was done to the truck. But even with just a few inches of snow on the ground, it was hopelessly stuck.

In fact, the recovery team struggled to reach the spot. The self-proclaimed “world’s largest off-road wrecker” rides on aggressive cleated tires that bite dirt, sand, and mud like a boss. In snow, the tread pattern combined with relatively light ground pressure caused the custom-built rig to slip quite a bit. One section of the trail had such a slope that spotters were needed to guide the truck, lest it slide off the narrow path.

Winching the pickup out proved to be a big challenge. The stranded pickup wasn’t far off the trail, but the wrecker continually slipped on the snow. Making matters worse was the lack of locking differentials on the Ram, which constantly struggled for traction as it was winched up. The whole situation was made worse by deteriorating weather conditions that dropped even more snow during the recovery. As a result, simply getting back to the main road was an adventure unto itself.

Keep all of this in mind as you venture out into the frozen wilderness. All-terrain tires aren’t necessarily good in snow, especially if it’s wet snow that packs into the tread. Once that happens, you’re basically driving on slicks. Even on flat main roads, four-wheel drive can help with acceleration. But that’s only 33 percent of driving. Turning and stopping matter more, and in those situations, having all-paw power offers no advantage.

Stay safe out there, everyone.